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cover of episode Tijuana River Pollution Reaches Crisis Point in San Diego County, Scientists Warn

Tijuana River Pollution Reaches Crisis Point in San Diego County, Scientists Warn

2025/6/10
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Paloma Aguirre
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Paula Stigler Granados
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Soumya Karlamangla
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Paloma Aguirre: 我每天都生活在令人心碎的状况中，帝王海滩已经关闭超过1200天，这严重影响了我们的身份认同。我们许多人热爱冲浪，但现在我们无法安全地进行这项活动。海滩关闭对我们当地的小商店造成了巨大的经济打击，整个地区都受到了影响。更令人担忧的是，来自蒂华纳河的污染不仅影响了我们的海岸，也影响了我们的空气。河流流经多个社区，那里的居民暴露在高浓度的硫化氢和其他有毒气体中，这给他们的健康带来了严重的后果。我认为这是西半球最大的环境和公共卫生紧急事件。我认识有人多次住院，我自己也因为胸痛和呼吸急促去过急诊室。有些家庭不得不让孩子戴着口罩睡觉，以保护他们的健康。我们当地的诊所也报告了胃肠道和呼吸道疾病的增加。我们迫切需要进行全面的流行病学研究，以更好地了解这种污染对健康的影响有多大。我希望圣地亚哥县能够投入更多资源进行研究，并为学校和日托中心提供更好的空气过滤系统。我们真正需要的是州长和总统宣布进入紧急状态，以便加快河流的改道和处理。 Paloma Aguirre: 我最后一次在帝王海滩冲浪是2021年9月21日。现在我必须开车35分钟才能到达最近的海滩。海滩关闭影响了我们的文化和社区氛围。想象一下，在自己的家中都感到不安全。在炎热的夏日，我们无法打开窗户，因为我们吸入的空气就像在一个便携式厕所里。那些有能力离开的人已经离开了，而我们这些留下来的人则生活在持续的焦虑中。房地产经纪人报告说，他们从未见过像过去几年那样多的房源。企业已经倒闭，我们的经济正在受到影响。我从2005年就开始处理污水问题，我看到我们作为一个社区被抛弃和忽视了很多年。我们是一个劳动力社区，但我们应该享有与其他城市完全相同的生活质量。我要继续战斗，直到我们拥有干净的空气和水。

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The beaches of Imperial Beach, California, have been closed for over 1200 days due to untreated sewage and industrial chemicals flowing from Tijuana, Mexico. This pollution leads to severe air and water quality issues, causing various health problems for residents and impacting the local economy. Mayor Paloma Aguirre discusses the crisis and its devastating effects on the community.
  • Beach closures exceeding 1200 days
  • 50 million gallons of untreated sewage daily
  • Severe health impacts: headaches, skin infections, respiratory issues
  • Economic consequences for local businesses

Shownotes Transcript

The South Bay in San Diego County is the site of one of the nation’s worst environmental disasters. Fifty million gallons of untreated sewage and industrial chemicals flow daily into the Tijuana River and out of Imperial Beach. New research connects the waste to worsening air quality, which has been linked with headaches, skin infections and gastrointestinal problems in the local population. We’ll talk about why solutions could be years away.

Guests:

Soumya Karlamangla, national correspondent, The New York Times

Paula Stigler Granados, associate professor in the School of Public Health and head of the Environmental Health Division, San Diego State University

Paloma Aguirre, mayor, Imperial Beach

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